Mike Grundy "devastated" after being forced out of UFC fight

Mike Grundy says he is "absolutely devastated" after being told he won't be able to fight in the UFC this weekend.
Mike Grundy outside his Wigan gymMike Grundy outside his Wigan gym
Mike Grundy outside his Wigan gym

The Wigan featherweight was scheduled to take on American Nik Lentz on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.

But a member of his team tested positive for Covid-19 before they were due to fly out, forcing Grundy to withdraw.

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"I’m absolutely devastated," he posted on Facebook. "I woke up the day I was flying out to Abu Dhabi to the devastating news that one of us tested positive for Covid and was told I won’t be able to fight.

"I’m not gonna lie, I cried. I have put my heart and soul into the fight game, I live the life day in day out, I cut no corners."

This is the third time the 33-year-old has seen a scheduled UFC fight not take place - injury ruled him out in late 2019 and months later, the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out a London event in which he was due to appear.

Grundy's last fight was also on ‘Fight Island’, where he suffered a broken jaw in a points defeat to Russian Movsar Evloev last July in his second UFC fight. Evloev has since stepped in to replace Grundy as Lentz's opponent.

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"It’s been a slow start for me in the UFC," said Grundy, who won 11 of 12 MMA fights before his victorious UFC debut in 2019.

"There’s been some setbacks which is very frustrating. Those who know me always say that I never get the easy route to any kind of success.

With the amount of sacrifices I make, the time, effort and work I put into it, my time will come. And trust me when It does come there will be no stopping me.

I will run through the featherweight division and get what I fully deserve. Hopefully a fight can get scheduled as soon as possible."

Grundy is a former international wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His wife Debbie is expecting their third son next month.